The race to develop more effective diet pills is heating up. This week Novo Nordisk Announced People who took megadoses of semaglutide lost significantly more body weight than normal in a large trial.
Novo Nordisk's STEP UP trial involved more than 1,400 obese patients, some of whom were randomly assigned to receive 7.2 mg of semaglutide. People who maintained the dose lost about 20% of their body weight. Baseline over 72 weeks. This finding exceeds the typical weight loss results seen with the existing semaglutide-based drugs Ozempic and Wegovy.
Semaglutide mimics the hormone GLP-1, which helps regulate our hunger and metabolism. It is the active ingredient in the type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic and the higher-dose obesity drug Wegovy. Since Wegovy's FDA approval in 2021, Ozempic has often been prescribed for weight loss off-label. Placebo controlled People lost about 15% of their weight, which is higher than the average weight loss seen with diet and exercise. or with older diet pills
The emergence of semaglutide has ushered in a new era of obesity treatment, and both Novo Nordisk and competitors are working to develop the next generation of these drugs, although Wegovy is already a higher-dose formulation of semaglutide. (The maximum prescribed dose is 2.4 milligrams, compared to the maximum dose of 1 milligram for Ozempic.) The company maintains that the drug's efficacy has not yet been reached.
The STEP UP trial had three groups: People received a placebo, Wegovy 2.4 mg semaglutide, or 7.2 mg Wegovy.
When considering those who strictly follow the medication schedule (Injected under the skin every week) Those who received the 7.2 mg dose lost an average of 20.7% of their body weight after 72 weeks, compared to a 17.5% loss in the 2.4 mg group and a 2.4% weight loss in the group. Placebo And even that includes those who do not strictly comply. The high-dose version still outperforms the original. (Body weight decreased 18.7% vs. 15.6%)
Equally important, higher doses of semaglutide appear to be safe and well tolerated. In the trial, the 7.2 mg dose group had comparable side effects to the lower dose group, according to Novo Nordisk Information: GLP-1 medicines are known to cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea or vomiting. Although these effects are usually mild to moderate, and usually disappears over time. Scientists often link GLP-1 drugs to serious complications, such as: Gastritis (gastric paralysis).
“The results from STEP UP strengthen the clinical profile of semaglutide for the treatment of obesity. in addition to the health benefits provided by Wegovy,” said Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president of development at Novo Nordisk, in a statement. statement From the company
The company will also soon release results from its STEP UP T2D trial, which is testing a 7.2-milligram dose in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes. If things go according to plan, semaglutide is likely to last. Longer retention as the top obesity and diabetes treatment for Novo Nordisk, even as other companies quickly move closer to their own drug candidates. But even the highest-volume versions are expected to face stiff competition.
In a face-to-face trial reveal Late last year, Eli Lilly's existing drug tirzepatide (the active ingredient in diabetes drug Mounjaro and obesity treatment Zepbound) outperformed Wegovy, with an average weight loss of 20.2% compared to 13.7% in other obesity treatments. medicine in development It was also shown early on. But the results are promising, which may eclipse both tirzepatide and semaglutide.
Another consideration is cost. At this point, current low-dose semaglutide formulations have been around for many years. and the high list price (about $1,000 per month) angered both Public and lawmakers– Just this week the federal government Announced that it will schedule both Ozempic and Wegovy in the next round of the recently launched Drug Negotiation Program under Medicare (any potential cuts would not take effect until 2027), though Higher doses of semaglutide may be more effective in treating obesity. But it will likely allow the company to continue selling the drug at similar or even higher prices than today.
The future of obesity treatment looks bright. But it also has a high cost.